It has been four months since MC-cum-entertainer Kang Hodong announced his voluntary retirement from show business. Barely a month after his withdrawal, fans already started missing him; even fellow colleagues Yoo Jaesuk and Lee Seunggi, amongst others, took care to mention him during their thank you speeches at various year-end award shows.
So it came as almost no surprise that by the first week of 2012 rumors of Kang Hodong finally making his return to show business began floating around. Unfortunately it was impossible to pinpoint their origin, and so they remained as just that — unsubstantiated hearsay. To add to the confusion, various media outlets ran a gauntlet of reports, some stating conclusively he was making his comeback, others stating that he wasn’t.
One thing is certain though — since the decision to leave was made voluntarily (contrary to him having been suspended), changing his mind will not come easy. As a management spokesperson speculated, this is a process that will evidently take a very, very long time.
Those in the broadcasting circles are firm in their belief that his return is around the corner, however, with the abovementioned rumors established as almost fact. Whether he is coming back or not is no longer the point of contention; instead, they have moved on to focus on guessing when, and through which broadcasting station his inevitable return will take place.
A representative from a technical team that has worked with him before recently spoke to reporters from Dailian. The reporter said, “It’s a sensitive issue for celebrities to reveal their appearances ahead of time; even more so for Kang Hodong right now. I can’t give you any details, but if you were to ask about his return, it’s a definite OK.”
He added when prompted further about Kang Hodong’s comeback, “It’s not something that is set in stone yet, so it’s difficult for me to give you an answer. But it’s not something that far off.”
Yet another source from the entertainment industry stated, “It’s not fixed yet but he is definitely coming back. There is a lot of talk going back and forth so there may be some variables, but it’s going to be the most advantageous for him to make his return through general channels (E/N: for example, KBS, MBC and SBS. A general channel in this context refers to one where many genres of shows are available, as opposed to channels where only a specific genre is aired.) In fact, I know he had a very positive chat with someone from one of those channels.”
Along this tangent, it’s obvious that if Kang Hodong has indeed set his mind on making a comeback, the fierce battle between the various broadcasting stations will force them to keep mum for the time being.
Making his comeback through the general channels will also not be without controversy. Recall that producer Na Youngseok of the variety show “1 Night 2 Days,” which Kang Hodong had incidentally starred in, had to put up with criticisms and name-calling when reports of him jumping ship emerged. Messages like “traitor who is motivated by money†were not uncommon online. In fact, plenty of other top stars suffered the same fate when they made the same decision. With all this in mind, it is rather a surprise that Kang Hodong is said to be considering that path.
A representative from a station unrelated to the above commented, “It’s not just the celebrities; a fairly large number of people from sectoral broadcasting companies are agonizing over moving to a general channel as well. The public sentiment on this issue has from the start tended towards the negative, namely that the shift is because of money and power, but the truth is pretty far from that. In actual fact a lot of broadcasters see very bright prospects because the nation’s three main broadcasting stations are there. So it wouldn’t be impossible for Kang Hodong to choose the general channels if he aims to develop his career.â€
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